


Night Terrors

by scarecrowstories



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Night Terrors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 12:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18800755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarecrowstories/pseuds/scarecrowstories
Summary: Taako has had night terrors for as long as he can remember. Sharing a dorm with Magnus, Merle, and Robbie makes it hard for him to clear his head. After one such episode, he finds himself wandering the Bureau's campus before running into the Director.





	Night Terrors

**Author's Note:**

> I planned on posting a different fic today but what's life if you're not living on the edge, right folks? Saw someone on tumblr point out that Taako mentioned in passing that he has night terrors and as soon as I confirmed that I had to write this.

Taako jolted up in bed and nearly hit his head on the ceiling. A panic had seized over him that had him tossing open his sleeping bag and hastily descending the bunk bed to run out of the dorm room in his pajamas. He didn't know what the nightmare had been about, as was almost always the case, but one thing was consistent: he needed fresh air. 

It was difficult sharing a small dorm room with three other men when he was worried about waking up screaming every night. How long had he had night terrors? He couldn't remember that, either. As he walked through the common area he debated going outside. There were still other bureau members awake, and he didn't want to be approached. He needed to breathe.

Someone he barely recognized caught his eye across the room, and that was it. He sprinted back to his dorm to grab a jacket and shoes so he could take a long walk. Unfortunately when he entered, he noticed Merle sitting up in bed, watching the door. Taako tried to mask his terror and waved to Merle, hoping it could be written off as something else, anything. Merle waved and laid back down, still looking concerned.

After quickly preparing to leave, he inched the door closed and ran back down the hall until he reached the exit. The moment the crisp night air hit his face it felt easier to handle the fear that still gripped him by the throat. He wasn't sure if he wanted to remember the nightmares that made him feel this way, but he knew that he was always running away from something. With a shuddering breath, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and set off in a random direction.

Taako felt like the whole world was after him. The first night it happened in their dorm, he'd accidentally woken Magnus who tried to console him to no avail. He couldn't remember a time when someone trying to comfort him ever helped, nor could he remember there being many who tried. Through muffled sobs into his pillow, Taako had explained that this was normal for him. Sometimes it left him cowering in the corner, umbra staff clutched tightly to his chest as he sat vigilant, convinced there would be an attacker at any moment. Other times he felt so full of nervous energy that he feared he might burst; those were the nights he walked.

The breeze picked up for a moment and Taako shivered. The campus was still new to him, especially alien at night, but he walked with purpose nonetheless. Eventually he felt like there was enough distance between himself and the nightmare that he could breathe normally. His heart was still throbbing. Logically he knew that he wasn't being chased, but he still needed to do this ritual to calm himself down. He sighed and headed towards the next bench he saw, hoping that sitting alone with his thoughts and the starry sky would be enough.

Just before he'd awoken with a start he could've sworn he was looking for something. The most detail he ever remembered from the recurring nightmare was that and the endless chasing. What was he looking for so desperately that its absence filled him with inconsolable panic? Where was he hoping to run to? What was he running from? The part of him that harbored a deep love for dramatic flair wondered if it was symbolic of his guilt at the incident which ended his cooking show, but he knew they'd been going on far before the show ever started.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Sometimes he wished he could fly high enough to reach the stars. They seemed so peaceful out there; he was envious of how brightly they could shine while still maintaining their personal space. They were always admired from a safe distance where nobody could hurt them, yet despite their distance between one another their beauty was never dimmed. It was a shame his levitate spell could only do so much.

"May I join you?"

Taako let out a startled shout and jumped, muscles tensing as every alarm in his brain started to sound again. Head swimming, he sighed in relief to see it was only the Director. He coughed awkwardly and scooted to one side. "Uh, sure, knock yourself out." 

The Director had the same look of concern that Merle had earlier; Taako hated it. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," he lied. It would be weird to talk to his boss about this, he decided. Better to make meaningless conversation instead. "You usually up this late?"

She folded her hands in her lap and smiled, eyes tired. "Often. It's nice to enjoy some quiet, plus we have a pretty unique view of the night sky that I've grown fond of." She looked up to the sky and her expression softened. 

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes. Taako wondered if it actually would've felt weirder to share his feelings with her. Either way, there was a distance between the two that Taako wasn't in the mood to navigate so soon after one of his night terrors. But before he could make his excuses and be on his way, the Director looked back down at him; his body froze all over again and he didn't know why.

"Do you ever wish you could get closer to the stars?" he blurted out, his brain grasping at any excuse to break the energy that had settled between them. "It's just, like, who doesn't love them?"

The Director's soft smile faded as she turned her eyes back upward. "It must be nice up there," she said wistfully.

Taako's heart was in his throat. "Y-yeah, I bet," he murmured in agreement, looking skyward as well. Before long the silence grew comfortable, something he did not anticipate. He didn't know how long the two of them sat side by side stargazing, but eventually the Director stood. "Ready for bed, huh?" he asked.

"I think so. Thanks for your company, Taako; sleep well." She excused herself and headed off towards the dome that held her quarters.

As Taako watched her go, he felt at peace, a drowsiness settling into his bones that told him it was time to go back to bed. He snuck back into his dorm as quietly as he could manage, climbing into the bunk and sliding into his sleeping bag with a sigh. He rolled onto his side and saw the umbra staff against the wall, forgotten earlier in his panic; he reached out a hand to lay gently on its handle. He felt safe.


End file.
